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Eastern friends, but one was used by Blanche and C.K.G. When Winslow
completed the 10,000 square-foot main house, Blanche refused to move
into it, preferring the intimacy of Cottage #2, which was, nevertheless,
enlarged over the years.
Yachting
In August 1924, the
Morning Press
reported the arrival of Billings’ new
Vanadis
. When her masts crept over the horizon, a flotilla set off from the
harbor. “Speedsters clipped the waves, seamews bounced merrily along,
and a variety of other small craft speckled the water.” Escorted by the fleet
of welcoming craft, the 1,200-ton, 240-foot, 2,000-horsepower yacht
reached its mooring off Stearns Wharf. The yacht, which required a crew
of 40 to sail, featured a spacious sitting room with open hearth, roomy
clothes closets, and room-to-room telephone service. It could hold up to
100 passengers. Most incredible, however, were the five-gaited mechanical
horse and mechanical camel, “which gives the effect of riding a camel on
the desert.” Unhappy with the performance of the boat’s Sperry gyroscope,
Billings sold the yacht the following year to the New York Zoological
Society to convert into an oceangoing exploratory vessel. Today, the
Vanadis
is anchored at Riddarholmen in Stockholm, where it is used as a hotel.
In 1930, Billings commissioned the construction of a land yacht.
A custom built Lincoln with an elongated wheelbase, it was the
predecessor of the modern RV. Featuring a bar and galley with gas
range and large refrigerator, a bathroom with frosted window, and a
84
summer
|
fal l
(top left) Lion and tiger skins greeted guests in the
marble foyer of
Asombrosso
(bottom left) Marble steps and terrace led to the ornately
carved entrance to
Asombrosso
, designed by Francis
Townsend Underhill
(bottom right) Carleton Winslow’s design for the new
Billings’ estate house included a baronial hall with
double-columned arches, marble fireplace and ornately-
mullioned windows (Courtesy of Montecito Association
History Committee)